


Keeping quiet

by taotrooper



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-27
Updated: 2015-03-27
Packaged: 2018-03-19 20:11:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3622707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taotrooper/pseuds/taotrooper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Shin-ah had discovered Zeno's whereabouts before the others? Spoilers for chapters 100+.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Zeno under moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this might or not be contradicted by canon soon, depending on how exactly Zeno managed to keep up with them. But by the time I'm posting this, it's still possible.
> 
> This half happens somewhere during the first part of chapter 26.

There was a time during Zeno’s vigilance from afar when he was certain that his plan was over. He just didn’t give Seiryuu’s eyes enough credit.

It was a very lovely spring night and the sky was clear, a sea of sparkling dots over the the forest. The moon was starting to wane so there was still a bit of light. Zeno stargazed from his tree branch, always marveled and humbled at how the heavens above remained unchanged every year. But even they had cycles to follow, every month had different stars. Everything but him was in a cycle, in a way.

Well, unless you count the daily meals, when he could afford them. That was a cycle he could get behind. Oh gods, was he starving! Hopefully the kids would fall asleep soon and he could look for mushrooms or roots or fruit in peace. But the new one that just joined the group, he was pacing. He could feel the tiny movements. Maybe he was looking for a blanket or a midnight snack.

Oh. he was leaving the camp site. He probably had to pee.

Eh? He was coming in this direction? Coincidence, right? Zeno was about a mile away anyway.

Nooooo, this guy was definitely looking for him! Zeno could see him getting closer, the whiteness of his mask and wig, the beads of his collar, the long sword on his back. His head moved to and fro, in search for the intruder.

Zeno stopped moving. He even stopped breathing. The tree was leafy and lush, so he hoped the other guy wouldn’t see him right away and then he would just desist.

But then, the squirrel left his shoulder and ran to the foot of Zeno’s tree. She squeaked. In seconds, the Blue Dragon had taken his blade and walked to them. Damn it.

No choice left. Since he knew the place, the foliage would be pointless.

“Please don’t, I’m coming down!” He said, and climbed down.

Zeno wasn’t afraid of the sword, or even the paralyzing stare. It was just that the tree looked at least a century or two old, and it could get cut down in the process. That would’ve been a shame.

The Blue Dragon stared at Zeno, no trace of a smile in his mouth. Zeno put his hands up in surrender and tried to look as innocent as possible. Not to brag, but he was really good at it. It probably worked, because the guy sheathed his blade and waited for the squirrel to go back up to his arm.

What then? Zeno started to weave a good speech on his mind, but that proximity to a dragon -after so long, without preparing himself before- was making him nervous. He wondered if his smile looked like a grimace instead.

After almost a minute in which no one said anything, the boy recently named Shin-ah reached for the bag on his other shoulder. As he untied the string and opened it, a delicious smell reached Zeno’s nose. The Yellow Dragon’s mouth began to drool on its own. Shin-ah sat on the floor and took out a bowl filled with boiled vegetables and mushrooms, then a flask of broth. There was even an apple for dessert that the squirrel started to drag out.

Zeno’s jaw dropped and his tongue licked his lips. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered faster, or maybe it was the hunger instead. Yes, the growling had started so it was the hunger.

“You came all the way here to bring this stranger some supper, big brother?”

Seiryuu nodded and extended the bowl to Zeno with solemnity.

Zeno sat down and grinned wide; he couldn’t help it, he was too happy.

* * *

It wasn’t until he had cleaned almost all the plate that Zeno’s brain started to ask a lot of questions about this unexpected development.

“Hey…”

Shin-ah was just looking at him eating, so he moved his head in indication of a reply.

“Well, Zeno’s very grateful for your generosity, masked mister. Thank you!” Zeno bowed. Shin-ah bowed back. “But I have to wonder, why? Food is so precious. Did you save it from your servings? Did you steal it from the leftovers? Why for me?”

“You looked hungry,” Shin-ah shrugged.

“And that’s that? I could be a spy or an assassin or a bandit.”

“You’re not a bad guy…”

“You seem pretty sure. Did you even let your partners know? What if Zeno tried to hurt you right here?”

Shin-ah struggled to find the words.

“Something tells me you’re good… I’ve fought bandits and soldiers a lot and I can tell you’re neither. Besides… you don’t have any weapons with you. And Ao isn’t scared of you.”

Zeno was so amused. In the end it wasn’t a naive response. Seiryuu had evaluated Zeno throughout and decided he just wasn’t a threat to the princess, so it was okay to feed the poor, hungry wanderer.

“Hahahaha! Yup, Zeno would make a terrible criminal! He’s not good at sneaky stuff, if this big brother traveling so ahead in the road can see him so clearly at night with a mask over his face. You’re really amazing! Amazing!”

Shin-ah mulled on these words in silence while Zeno emptied his dish and gave the squirrel a piece of carrot. Then he finally talked again.

“You aren’t… scared of me?”

“No,” Zeno shook his head immediately. “Should I? You’re the kindest soul I’ve met in a while, and I’m not saying this because of the free food. You’re not scary to Zeno. You’re really nice! So, so nice! And I’m absolutely delighted to meet you.”

Zeno’s smiling expression irradiated an enigmatic sort of happiness. At the moment it was Shin-ah’s jaw the one dropping. There was no need to see his face to know that that kind of warm words were not the kind he’d normally hear from other human beings.

“Zeno will save the apple for tomorrow. Here’s your bowl back. And hey, can you do me a favor? I’m super glad you thought of me, but if you ever see me again on the road like today? Don’t sneak out food for Zeno. I can take care of myself, and I saw you travel with four other people. Some are even teenagers. You guys need all your rations.”

Shin-ah nodded. He put everything back inside the bag and stood up. Zeno did the same and brushed the grass and dust from his coat.

“Zeno. Do you want to…?”

He had dragged the question and didn’t finish it. Want to travel with us? Want to be friends with me? Want to get another apple? Whatever it was, there was a regret in saying it aloud and he stopped it.

Oh, sweet Seiryuu. There was a lot that Zeno wanted, but he said no instead. It didn’t matter what the question was. He wanted to touch his hand or his shoulder at least, but physical contact might break his effort to hide his presence.

“No, sorry. Zeno needs to travel alone for a little longer. Maybe one day, when the time is right, I will go with you if your friends are okay with me. Who knows?”

Shin-ah didn’t reply. He just turned away without a word and left. Was he disappointed? Or had his quota for social activity run out for the night?

“What a pleasant night, oh heavens,” Zeno said to no one in particular.

* * *

By the next morning, there was a severe lack of halberds and claws directed at Zeno’s heart. There was also a lack of a redheaded girl asking the Ouryuu to join her. With that, he assumed that Seiryuu had kept quiet about the weird guy he saw.

With sorrow in his heart, Zeno added an extra mile to the ratio of distance he kept between the girl and himself. Just in case. They were getting close to the Ryokuryuu anyway and that would hopefully keep them busy.


	2. Shin-ah under sunshine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second half happens during the events of chapter 42. It also borrows a particular scene from Zeno's anime introduction.

Shin-ah could tell the day would be eventful the moment he saw that blond guy again, hidden behind a tree in the most conspicuous way.

Or at least he thought it was conspicuous, but no one but him had even noticed. Not even Hak, the seasoned warrior, seemed to think there was someone off. The other two dragons hadn't felt anything at first and Jae-ha went out to hunt without seeing anyone apart from them. That Zeno guy had said that night that he was pretty bad at being sneaky. Was he really, then? Shin-ah had no idea how sneaky people are, as he and the others drew too much attention all the time.

Shin-ah looked through the tree trunk. Zeno couldn't return the glance, but Shin-ah was sure he had felt his eyes on him. The short guy raised his index finger to his lips and grinned. 'Silence, please?' Shin-ah knew silence. Shin-ah could respect that. He nodded, but kept looking. He only stopped for a little while when Jae-ha landed carrying a deer.

All that talk about finding the Ouryuu, though... Shin-ah let them go, lost in thought, looking at Zeno's hair. He as the Seiryuu had blue hair; Ao also had had long, wild blue hair. Kija as the Hakuryuu had almost-white silver hair. Jae-ha as the Ryokuryuu had deep green hair. If Ouryuu had yellow hair... He had thought about it a while ago. He hoped he was right. That guy was mysterious and strange, but... warm.

Yona, Hak, and Yoon went to the other side of camp. Zeno, all drool and dirt, quickly sneaked behind them. Shin-ah felt curious about what he was going to do next. Zeno had been avoided them for long, but then suddenly...

Suddenly...

...Speaking of suddenly, it hit him. Like a kick on his chest, like when his skin felt the sunshine when he removed his mask, like a barrier that had been lifted. He looked at his friends. He saw it in their faces as they tried not to mention it. Why? That person was obviously right here. Shin-ah didn't think of himself as dumb nor intelligent, but he felt really smart for figuring everything out before everyone else.

Too bad he didn't find humor in people's reactions, because his friends' faces when they saw the Yellow Dragon later sitting by the fire next to Yona were priceless.

* * *

"Hey, Seiryuu! Can you help Zeno find the more shallow part of the river to wash myself? Hakuryuu and Ryokuryuu complained about the dirt all over the place."

"Sure..."

They were far away enough for the others to be incapable to hear them. Zeno stopped and took out a handmade soap that Yoon had given to him. He rolled up his sleeves and cleaned his skin while Shin-ah just looked in silence.

"Aren't you going to ask Zeno anything?"

"Ask?"

"No? Well, Zeno does have questions to make, if you don't mind." He made a pause and scrubbed his arms. "How come Seiryuu didn't tell the others about this guy following them around sometimes?"

"Because I knew you're not a bad guy... You'd never hurt Yona. You were so nice, I just knew."

"Seiryuu... Why don't you feel weirded out about my behavior or ask me why I hid?"

"Zeno had his reasons. When she came for me, I said no first. I had my reasons. When we met Jae-ha, he said no first. He had his reasons. Zeno came for Yona, and he still said no. He had his reasons. Now he meets us all and says yes. He has his reasons. It's okay if I don't know them."

"Gods, Seiryuu, I just..." His face, just slightly covered in soap, had that inscrutable expression, the one he made during lunch sometimes. "Tell me, did you figure out that Zeno was Ouryuu when we first met? Is that really why you trusted Zeno?"

Shin-ah shook his head. "Not then. When we met Ryokuryuu and I saw he could hide his presence... Then I wondered if you were the last dragon. I'm glad you are. Ao is also glad."

The Yellow Dragon's eyes were shining under the full moon that had just come out.

"You really are the kindest, you know that? Ahahaha, I think the foam got to my eyes." Zeno's voice cracked a bit, and he rushed to pour water to remove the soap. He used his scarf to dry himself and stood up. "Okay, last question. Do you mind physical contact?"

"Punches?"

"No? Like, cuddles or hugs. Although sure, some wrassle could be fun but that's not what Zeno meant."

He thought about Kija and Jae-ha, who sometimes grabbed his shoulder or patted his back. Those were pleasant. Ao's hands were callous but so warm. He hadn't been cuddled in particular in his life except for squirrel Ao's fuzzy attempts, but he was willing to try.

"I won't mind..."

"Good to know. Didn't want to make you uncomfortable and it's hard to read your smiles. Your lips rarely smile when your heart does. So! Do you know where the miss is?"

Shin-ah looked around, and pointed out the clear of the forest.

"Gathering wood. She's with Ao."

"Zeno will help her out now that's he's clean. Seiryuu? Thank you."

"For what?"

"Just for being your kind self, I guess. For being Zeno's precious friend."

And with a silly bow, just like he hadn't just said anything important, he skipped away to the night. Shin-ah closed his eyes and felt sunshine beyond his mask despite being nighttime.


End file.
